Cuttin' the Rug Under the Moonlight Sky (Hardcover, Anchor Books ed.)

In "Cuttin' the Rug Under the Moonlit Sky" author and artist Sharony Andrews Green portrays and pays tribute the women in her life-mamas, grandmas, godmamas, sistergirls, girlfriends, kinfolk and kinspirit, some real, some imagined. Comprised of a series of 42 four-color illustrated portraits of many different women all of whom have "Mae" in their names, and accompanying text capturing their idiosyncratic voices, experiences and perspectives on life, Cuttin' the Rug is a lively, revealing and often surprising look at the diversity of black women's lives.

Reading "Cuttin' the Rug" is "like sittin' on your grandma's porchstep getting the latest gossip about a sister who had a certain dream, disposition or passion." The author developed a special fondness for the name Mae due to its presence in her upbringing and family tree, and the lives of the Maes she portrays span from the turn of the century to the present day. From the fearless Miss Lucy Mae who is headed to the Great White Vermont to the resourceful Ella Mae who dances to pay the rent and feed her babies, they are all survivors with attitude, determination and beauty.

An irresistible mix of pictures and prose, "Cuttin' the Rug Under the Moonlit Sky" is an exuberant celebration of the strength, endurance, pride and kinship of black women.